Compulsion
by Evil Kitty 75
Summary: Brittany has another party. Strangness ensues.


Compulsion  
or  
More than One Way to Break a Washing Machine   
(An Odd Tale of Romance)  
by Anastasia Hunt   
  
  
  
It was a typical, sunny Lawndale day, and Daria Morgendorffer was less than thrilled   
about it, as usual. Too sunny and just too damn typical, she thought, as she walked to school.   
Her sister Quinn was about twenty yards in front of her, surrounded by Jeffy, Joey, and Jamie;   
they were groveling, as usual. Daria thought she would be sick, but she didn't have the energy.   
  
After what seemed like forever, Daria made it to school and to her locker, where   
Brittany, of all people, was waiting for her. Daria felt another wave of nausea come on. She   
sighed and decided to get this encounter over with.   
  
"Hello, Brittany. Where's your shadow?" Daria inquired of the bubbly blonde in her   
typical fashion. Brittany responded with her customary blank stare/hair twirl maneuver.   
"Gee, Daria, it's too dark in here for me to have a shadow. I thought you'd know that;   
after all, you're a brain," Brittany finally managed to get out after spending so much time in   
thought.  
  
After a lengthy pause, taken in order for Daria to absorb that statement and wonder how   
Brittany managed to function on a daily basis, she asked, "Can I help you?", thinking to   
herself that there were some who were entirely beyond help.  
  
Brittany smiled blankly and said, "No, Daria. That art project's not due until NEXT   
week. Remember?" She indulged in another lengthy thought process and then said, "No, I was just   
gonna tell you I'm having another party on Friday and that you and Jane are invited. And, like,   
anybody else you want to bring."   
  
Brittany stared at Daria expectantly. Jane had, in the meantime, gotten to school and   
walked up to Daria's locker just in time to witness the invitation.   
  
Daria looked at Jane briefly and then responded, "Let me guess- you're bent on showing a   
little charity to those of us who are less popular- I mean, fortunate? "   
  
Brittany once again stared blankly, then finally noticed Jane.   
  
"Hi, Jane!" she squeaked. Jane nodded in reply.  
  
"Did you say you were having another party this weekend?" Jane enquired of everybody's   
favorite chesty cheerleader.   
  
Brittany jumped up and down with excitement. "Yeah, Jane, I was just telling Daria that I  
really want you and her to come. It'll be fun!"  
  
The wheels of yenta-dom began to turn in Jane's head. She said to Brittany, "Sure. It   
sounds like it'll be a blast. Daria and I will be there with bells on."  
  
Brittany squealed, "Oh! Goody! Well, I have to run and invite a whole bunch of other   
people. See you guys Friday night!" she trilled, bouncing off to find her Kevvie.  
  
Daria just stared in amazement and shock. "Jane, I didn't even say I would go, or that I  
even wanted to go," she chastised her partner in crime.  
  
Jane said, "Oh, c'mon, Daria, it'll be fun. Besides, maybe I'll meet up with another cute   
guy." The two of them headed to Mr. O'Neill's class to mull this over.   
  
Jane smiled to herself. She, as always, had an ulterior motive, and knew how she was   
going to set everything in motion.  
  
  
"Look, Trent, will you just take us to the party? It's not like you have anything better  
to do anyway," Jane cajoled.   
  
Trent groused" Another party in Crewe Neck? What's up with that?"   
  
"Well, it's a place for me to pick up guys. And anyway, Daria loves any chance she can   
get to humiliate her sister."   
  
Trent perked up (as much as it is possible for Trent to perk up) at the mention of Daria.  
As far as he was concerned, Daria was the only female in Lawndale worth even talking to. Sure,   
there were plenty of cutesy little bimbos around, but they only made Trent's stomach turn. Daria   
was . . . well . . . cool. And any time he got to spend with her was worthwhile.   
  
"Look, it's not like I'm asking you to go to the party- only to drive us there. Can you   
do that?" Jane asked. "PLEASE?"  
  
"Oh, all right. Anything to keep you from whining. When is it?"   
  
"Tonight." Jane gave him her biggest puppy-dog eyes and pouted. She knew this would   
annoy him into doing her bidding.  
  
Trent sighed. "Well, thanks for the notice, Janey."  
  
Jane smirked, "Anytime, bro."   
  
  
  
"I can't believe I'm going through with this . . . again," Daria moaned to Jane as they   
were getting ready for the party in Daria's room. "Like I don't find enough humiliation at home   
or school . . . now I'm going to willingly subject myself to more of the same?"   
  
"Yeah, but guess what-" Jane was interrupted by Helen, who poked her head in the door.   
  
"Daria, Jane, are you girls getting along all right? Almost ready for that big party?"   
Helen, one of Quinn's outfits in hand, looked at Daria hopefully. "Can I possibly hope that you   
might want to dress up for this?"  
  
Daria gazed at her mother levelly. She should have known by now that it was all Daria   
could do to attend this party.   
  
Helen sighed and resigned herself to the fact that Daria was at least getting out and   
being social. She turned to leave, sticking her head back in Daria's door to say, "Well, you   
girls have fun tonight. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." She chuckled at her lame joke.   
  
On her way out, she bumped into Jake, Daria's dad.   
  
"Hi, girls. You need a ride to the party?" he asked them.   
  
"No, Dad, that's been taken care of," Daria replied.   
"Are you sure?" Jake insisted.   
  
"Yeah, Dad, we're-"   
  
Quinn poked her cute, annoying, perfectly styled head through the door and said "Trent's   
here," not without some distaste.  
  
Jane piped up, "All righty, then, Are we ready to do this?"  
She and Daria filed past Jake and Quinn.   
  
"Ride?" Daria asked of Jane, just knowing what was coming next.  
  
Jane replied, "That's what I was trying to tell you-I scammed a little bit of quality   
time with Trent for ya."   
  
Speechless, Daria gave her the 'Oh, God' look.   
  
"You don't have to thank me, Daria- that's what friends are for."   
  
Exasperated, Daria followed Jane out to Trent's scary ride.  
  
  
Twenty minutes later, Daria and Jane were standing at Brittany's front door. Jane was   
applying lipstick to a resistant Daria.   
  
"Why? You know I don't do makeup, Jane."   
  
"Trust me, you'll thank me in a minute," Jane replied.   
  
The door opened. Brittany squealed   
  
"Ooh, Hi, Daria! You made it? Oh goody! I was beginning to wonder." She paused. "But where  
are your bells?"   
  
Quinn made a hasty retreat to the bathroom and locked the door. Daria then noticed she   
was without her bookbag.   
  
"Oh, damn, I must have left it in Trent's car," she remarked to Jane, who only smirked.  
  
As if Daria's evening didn't suck enough, Jeffy bumped into her as he looked for Quinn,   
spilling his drink all over her. "Like, I'm sorry, I didn't -hey, have you seen Quinn?" he said.   
  
Daria's jacket was the only casualty in this, so she removed it and looked for some place  
to ditch it. As she hung it on a ceramic tiger, she said to Jeffy," Fortunately, not yet. Have   
you checked the bathroom?"  
  
Jeffy looked at her briefly and continued his search elsewhere. Just then, the song by   
Smash Mouth with the really danceable beat came on and the whole room began to dance- Daria   
included, which puzzled her. Daria just wasn't big on busting any kind of groove, but then again,  
EVERYONE was doing this zombie-like shag thing. Quinn stared out of the bathroom in shock,   
ditching her drink and swearing off alcohol for life. How bizarre, she thought.   
  
  
Trent turned on the tape player as he was leaving Brittany's. He was in the mood for a   
little They Might be Giants this evening. He rummaged in the Almighty Box of music, dug up   
Lincoln, and popped it in. Within seconds, "Ana Ng" was cranking and Trent was thinking.   
  
The song got to the part about walking in the glow of each other's majestic presence,   
and Trent noticed that Daria's bag was still in the seat. Odd, he thought, Daria's not the type   
to leave stuff behind.   
  
There was only one thing to do - return it. Even if it meant dealing with the rent-a cop   
and the snotty Crewe Neckers. Daria was Janey's best friend, and a cool person to boot.   
  
  
Trent made it past the cop and into the house. What he saw boggled his mind- The whole   
room was dancing to that damn cheesy Smash Mouth song- and Daria was leading them. That song was   
potent. And Daria was in a trancelike daze, twisting like crazy. So was Janey. They both looked   
stoned. It was creepy, but kind of cool.   
  
Mercifully, the song ended. Everybody went back to their discussing and munching. Daria  
looked up, saw Trent, and cringed.   
  
Trent handed her bag to her wordlessly. He'd tease Janey mercilessly later.   
  
"Uh..thanks, Trent," Daria wheezed.   
  
"Hey, no problem." He paused and coughed. "What was up with that, if I may ask?"   
  
Daria stood in silence for a moment, then replied, "I wish I could tell you."  
  
Trent nodded in understanding. Jane sauntered over, smirking like mad. Her plan had worked like   
a charm.   
  
"Hey, Trent, what about your problem dealing with authority? Aren't you 'a little too   
mature' to be here?"   
  
Trent shot Jane an vaguely ugly look and said, "Daria left her bag in the car and I was   
just returning it because if I hadn't, I would have forgotten about it. Okay?"   
  
"Okay, fine. Can I have my head back now? I'm gonna scan for guys and I probably will   
need it," Jane said as she walked off, still smirking.   
  
"What is she looking so smug about?" Trent asked Daria.   
  
"Hell if I know," Daria replied. " She's probably found a victim- er, guy."   
  
Trent chuckled at that remark. "Good one," he commented.   
  
He looked in the direction which Jane had left. He found her chatting up some loser in   
the corner.   
  
"I guess she's found one already. I'd like to think Janey had better taste than that."  
  
Daria looked to see what he meant.   
  
"Oh my God, Trent."   
  
"What?"   
  
She stared, unable to believe her eyes. All she could say was, "Upchuck."  
  
Trent backed away from her a bit, asking if she was okay and if she needed to get to   
the bathroom. She continued to stare and then dropped it to continue conversing with Trent.   
  
  
  
About twenty minutes later, Upchuck walked up to the two of them and said, "Hey, we're   
playing post office-"   
  
"Uh huh, did you think we'd care, Upchuck? Besides, I would never play a game where there  
stands a chance of me having to kiss you. So if you're here to invite us, I think I'd rather   
not," Daria interrupted.  
  
Trent chuckled at her remarks. Upchuck pressed on.  
  
"And you two just won a trip to the Mmmmakeout Room!"   
  
"Um...I didn't even know we were playing," Daria said.   
  
Jane walked up behind her and said "Okay, so I took the liberty of entering you guys.   
Now be good sports and let us lock you in the laundry closet for seven minutes, okay?"   
  
  
  
Daria and Trent stared at each other wordlessly. Each one felt too nervous to speak. It   
had been one thing in front of everybody, but it was completely different here, alone, in this   
enclosed space. Daria looked at her watch and broke the silence. "Six and a half minutes to go",   
she noted. It was turning out to be the longest seven minutes of her life.   
  
  
Jane took Upchuck aside and said to him, "Thanks, Upchuck. I guess now we're even."   
  
He looked at her and said " But we're not even playing post office...unless you want to.   
Grrrowwrrrr!!"   
  
"Dream on, Upchuck. It was devious of me to be so untruthful, but necessary. Now go away   
before I rip your lungs out," she snarled.   
  
"Mmmmmm...feisty!!!!!"   
  
  
  
"Well, thanks for bringing me my bag. And I'm sorry you got roped into this Post Office   
thing."   
  
"Actually, I don't mind- I kind of enjoy your company," Trent said, and then turned beet   
red. Oh well, he thought, might as well spill all.   
  
"I was listening to this song when I found it...it was about heartfelt longing for   
someone on the other side of the world."   
  
"Sounds like "Ana Ng", by They Might Be Giants, the first rock band to find a prominent   
yet reasonably cool use for the accordion," Daria chipped in.   
  
"Yeah, it was." He paused, thinking, Damn, this girl even knows who TMBG are. Bitchin'.   
  
  
Quinn noticed the bubbles coming out from under the laundry room door. She backed away,   
covering her ears to block out the buzzing sound. Bzzzzzzzzzzzzz, it went on and on.........  
  
  
  
Bzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Daria woke in confusion. Her alarm was going off. She smacked it into silence, then   
grabbed her glasses to check her surroundings. She was in her room, thank God. She was worried   
about the significance of that dream, that vivid, insane dream.   
  
  
"So, let me get this straight... you were dancing? At a party? I would have paid a lot of   
money to see that," Jane said before going into convulsions of laughter that ended with her   
smacking face down into her half-finished slice of pizza.  
  
"Yeah... not to mention I was apparently making out in a closet with your brother," Daria  
sighed.  
  
"So? That part about the washing machine was funny," Jane replied.  
  
"He's not... well, um..."  
  
"Tom?" Jane finished for her. "Look, don't worry about it. It was just a dream. You've   
been over Trent for nearly a year now. It had nothing to do with Tom, I'm sure."  
  
"What had nothing to do with me?" Tom was standing at the table, having shown up to meet   
the girls.  
  
Jane, being Jane, proceeded to tell him all about Daria's dream while Daria cringed. Tom   
found the whole thing quite amusing.   
  
  
After Jane went home to work on a project for another art fair, Daria and Tom headed for   
his place. As they snuggled on the couch, Tom could tell that Daria wasn't feeling very snuggly.  
  
"What's wrong, Daria?"  
  
She sat quietly for a moment, composing her thoughts.   
  
"Did that whole dream thing kind of.... skeeve you out, Tom? Honestly?"  
  
Tom smiled. "Why would it?" He regarded Daria for a moment, then realized the source of   
her anxiety.   
  
"That part about Trent? Daria, of course it didn't bother me."  
  
"Even though I used to have a crush on him?"  
  
Tom held her hand, turned to face her, and said,"Daria, look, I know a bit about dreams.   
They're very rarely literal. Instead, the things that appear in dreams are usually manifestations  
of stress factors in your own life. You have said that you've been stressed out a bit lately. So   
have I. It's senior year."   
  
He paused, then continued with, "Besides, your crush on Trent was a very important factor   
of your life for a long time. Just because you're over it, doesn't mean you'll forget about it.   
It's normal. Hell, I still dream about Jane sometimes. It's just our psyche's way of dealing with   
stuff. So don't worry about it, okay?" he finished, kissing her hand gently.  
  
Daria felt better. "Thanks, Tom," was all she could manage to say.   
  
"We do have a laundry room upstairs...."Tom hinted, semi-jokingly. Daria smirked and   
bopped him on the head. They wrapped their arms around each other and proceeded with a   
smooch-fest.   
  
  
FIN  
  



End file.
